How to Clean Up a Little Water Spill

May 08, 2018

Obviously, not every water spill is serious enough to require the help of a professional water cleanup company. If you act quickly and know what you’re doing, you can clean up a little water and dry out the affected area before it causes permanent damage to your home.

If you have a sizable, but limited water spill in your house, for instance, an aquarium breaks in your living room causing several gallons of water to saturate the carpeting, here’s what you’ll need to clean up the mess:

Towels – lots of them

Wet/Dry Shop-Vacuum

Box fan(s)

Dehumidifier

The faster you clean it up, the better your chances of avoiding long-term damage. So, if you don’t have a wet/dry vacuum or box fan, call your neighbors and borrow. Since most people don’t own a dehumidifier, you’ll probably need to rent one. Look up local tool rental businesses to inquire about industrial strength models like the one shown in the video.

As soon as you notice the spill, take the following 5 steps to clean it up:

Stop the source of the water (if it’s a pipe or overflowing sink – shut off the water)

And, if these steps prove to be inadequate, your spill is probably too large to handle by yourself. For instance, a broken pipe that has caused standing water in a basement. Sewage spills or backups are dangerous and should be handled by a professional. To learn more about risks and mitigation of major spills, see our blog post titled How to Manage Water Damage in Your Home.